Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian Family, 2 Kids in West Bank Shooting

Israeli soldiers shot and killed four members of a Palestinian family, including two children, in the northern occupied West Bank late Saturday, the Palestinian Authority's Health Ministry said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service identified the victims as Ali and Waed Odeh and two of their four children, all of whom were shot in the head. The family had gone out to buy clothes for the approaching Eid al-Fitr holiday, according to the official Palestinian news agency. The two surviving Odeh children sustained shrapnel wounds. First responders examined them only after being delayed access to the scene — a delay the Red Crescent attributed to Israeli forces.

The shooting carries no direct Treasure Coast connection. However, the escalating conflict in the West Bank has drawn attention from South Florida's sizable Jewish and Arab-American communities and from Florida's congressional delegation, several of whose members have been vocal on U.S. policy toward Israel and Iran.

Israel's military and police said in a joint statement Sunday that forces opened fire after a car accelerated toward them in the town of Tammun while they were pursuing suspects accused of "terrorist activity." The military said the shooting was under investigation.

The killings are the latest in a wave of violence across the West Bank. Israeli authorities have since restricted movement across the territory, intermittently closing hundreds of gates and checkpoints. The Red Crescent says this policy has significantly hampered emergency response. Israeli rights group Yesh Din said Wednesday it had documented 109 incidents of settler violence across dozens of Palestinian communities since the war began.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has recorded 18 Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2026, including eight by Israeli settlers.

Israel's military investigation into the Odeh family shooting remains ongoing, with no timeline announced for its conclusion.

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